Rasharkin’s Brian takes on Glens walk

On Sunday, July 9, Rasharkin man Brian Doherty and his teenage son Tiarnan will be taking on a challenge that most of us would never even consider.

The intrepid duo will be putting their best foot forward to raise funds for Guide Dogs NI by walking from their home town of Rasharkin to Ballycastle via the scenic Glens of Antrim.

In total, they’ll cover 50 miles and hope to beat last year’s total of £5,555!

Brian (51) was diagnosed with the eye condition Retinitis pigmentosa around 10 years ago. He has around 10 per cent useful vision remaining, but doesn’t let this hold him back.

Talking about his intensive training regime he said: “Tiarnan and I are out every weekend covering 30 or 40 miles. It’s brilliant father and son time and Tiarnan has a new found respect for how fit you need to be to do long-distance walking. My daughter Mairead has taken on the role of ‘manager’ and, along with my wife Corine, this event really brought us closer together as family. I’ve also rekindled lots of old friendships and the sense of community spirit is just amazing.”

Brian is hoping lots of local people will join in along the route outline below. All timings are approximate.